


Peace through Chaos

by margoteve



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Post Season 2, Retelling of season 3, more tags to add
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26233855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margoteve/pseuds/margoteve
Summary: Gunmar is out. The battle between Good and Evil will soon reach its culmination. Jim has dreams which lead him to a much more ancient being than Gunmar. Who are they? Will they be an ally or just another threat? The Trollhunters already chaotic adventure seems to take on a yet another unexpected spin.
Relationships: Barbara Lake/Walter Strickler | Stricklander, Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	1. In Dreams They Come

**Author's Note:**

> “Chaos is what we've lost touch with. This is why it is given a bad name. It is feared by the dominant archetype of our world, which is Ego, which clenches because its existence is defined in terms of control.”  
> ― Terence McKenna

The trolls have found a safe house in an old warehouse. The conditions were not the best but it had to do. After the 24 hours of intense emotions - Gunmar’s return, destruction of the Troll market and the escape of trolls - Jim was exhausted. He could not possibly go to school like that. Fortunately for him his mother had taken a double shift and would not come home until the evening. 

“Sorry,  _ Señor _ Uhl. Jim is going to be  _ ausente _ today,” Jim mumbled into his pillow, nuzzling the cool material. He was out within seconds.

His dreams were unsettling, something dark was reaching for him. Something cold. He was running, it was chasing. He ducked, it followed. Suddenly a cliff. No escape. Jim turned around, looking for any sort of exit. But it was only him and the creature. His amulet was gone. The thing was coming closer and closer. Jim’s heart hammered so loudly he could hear it. His eyes kept darting around looking for a way out. The beast was now at his arms length. It stood tall, slender, an endless mass of darkness. It looked at him, it didn’t have eyes but he knew it was looking at him, not even attacking. Suddenly a strange feeling of calm came over him. The creature stretched its hand to him and whispered. 

“ _ Jiiimmm”  _

“Wh-” 

“ _ Jim _ !” it repeated urgently. “ _ Jim _ !” 

“Jim!” Claire's voice woke him up and he shot up in his bed. 

Claire and Toby jumped back but then walked closer. 

“Morning sleepy head,” Toby smiled widely. 

“Hey guys,” Jim yawned and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?” he looked at his alarm clock. “Whoa!” he jumped out of bed, getting tangled up in the sheets in the process, and falling to the floor. He picked himself up and ran out to the bathroom. 

“Told you, he’d be glad to see us,” Toby nudged Claire, while she gave him an uncertain look. 

A while later the trip was downstairs. Toby and Claire sitting on stools while Jim busied himself making dinner for his mother. 

“So what were you dreaming about Jimbo?” Toby reached to a bowl of chocolate icing trying to sneak some for himself. Claire snapped his hand away and the boy hissed in pain rubbing his palm.

“You looked like you were having a nightmare when we came in,” she added. 

“I don't remember much of it but you know it's just a nightmare. It's probably because of all that happened recently,” Jim sighed pushing the potatoes into the oven. “By the way, how did you get in?” 

“Shadowstaff,” Toby quickly supplied. 

“Claire…” Jim looked at the girl worried. “You shouldn't use it so often.”

“I'm fine,” she tried to downplay it. Then she sneezed. 

“You look terribly pale. And you still have that cold,” he pointed out. “Did you get enough sleep?”

Claire rolled her eyes and sniffled. “You sound like my mom,” she grumbled. “I’m fine, really.” She tried to reassure him.  


Jim wanted to say something else but the door opened and his mother walked in. Barbara looked exhausted. She had deep shadows under her eyes and dragged her feet over the floor. 

“Morning kiddo,” she mumbled then yawned, stretching a little. “Hello Claire, hi Toby.”

“Hi Doctor L!” Toby straightened up on his chair sending the woman a bright smile. “Long night?”

“You could say that.”

“Good evening Mrs Lake,” Claire waved shyly and Barbara sent her a tired, but warm smile. 

“What are you cooking, Jim?” Barbara walked up to her son kissing the top of his head.

“Just some steak and baked potatoes mom,” Jim replied, leaning a bit into his mother. It was good to have her back. “It will be done soon.”

“You might want to leave me some in the fridge, I don’t think I will make it,” she ruffled his hair. “It was a nightmare at the hospital today.” She yawned again and rubbed her eyes. “Don’t stay up too long, it’s still school week, okay?”

“Okay mom,” Jim nodded, his heart squeezing. Lying to his mother was coming way too easy to him ever since he became the trollhunter. He just didn’t want her to worry, at least that's what he kept telling himself. It was safer for her not to know. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Goodnight kids,” Barbara waved at the three teens and headed upstairs. They watched her disappear from their view and listened to the doors closing. 

“Okay so, what's the plan for today?” Jim spoke first, keeping his voice low. 

“Well, we have the regular patrol to do but there's something I thought about,” Claire started. “With Gunmar out we’re severely outnumbered, right?”

“Yeah, he has the Troll Market and Heartstone and access to the Gyre…” Toby counted on his fingers trailing on. “Not to mention an army of zombie trolls at his disposal.”

“That's what I was talking about. What if we could even it out a little?” She reached to her backpack and pulled out a big and heavy looking tome from it. 

“Where did you get that book?” Toby asked, eyeing it. 

“What do you mean?” Jim also eyed the tome in her hands. 

“I got it from Vendel before… Everything,” she sighed and opened the book. “I wanted to understand my staff a little and Vendel said I might find something useful in here.” She explained turning the pages. “Today I was reading it when I found something that might help us.”

The boys leaned closer in case she was going to continue her story and they weren't wrong. 

“The thing is, I don't know exactly what it is,” she stopped at the right place in the book. “A page is missing. It continues as to where to find it.” She lifted the tome up. The boys exchanged looks. Their trollish was still not the best. 

“So where is it?” Toby asked. 

“If I am reading this right,” she turned the book back to herself and placed her finger over the text, “it is near the lake King Arthur got his sword.”

Jim thought for a moment. “That's going to be all the way to England.” He looked at his friends. “We will need a Gyre.”

“Yeah, but isn't like our Gyre under Gunmar’s control?” Toby pointed out. 

Jim rubbed his chin for a moment thinking. “Blinky mentioned another one close by - we could use that.” He’d have to ask exactly where it was but as long as it could get them to England it would work.

“Wooo! Field trip!” Toby threw his hands up and managed to fall off his stool. “I’m fine!”

Unfortunately their mission received an unexpected block road. Once Jim told Blinky where they were going, plus Claire showed him the book, his teacher absolutely refused to tell him where Gyre was. Neither did he want to explain why he was so against this mission. They tried asking Nomura and Strickler but they also refused to help. All the trolls looked like they knew what the book was talking about but absolutely refused to tell them what it was and why shouldn’t they go for it. All they got was ‘It’s not worth it.’

Meanwhile Jim’s nightmare kept coming back. He was no longer running in it. It was just him and the creature. Standing in front of each other. The hand still stretched out to him. Waiting. For some reason, he felt like it was important. Even weirder that he was so determined to get to whatever it was Claire showed them. These two things - his dream and the missing page - were somehow connected. He just knew it. 

So he told his friends about it during lunch time. 

“So what you're saying you're dreaming about a huge void monster that may or may not be connected to the thing in Claire's book?” Toby pulled out his sandwich out of his bag and took a bite. “I dunno Jimbo. It just doesn't sound good.”

“I know,” Jim sighed, staring at his lunch. “That monster- she seemed so lonely…”

“Wow, hold back- she?” Toby looked curious. “How can you tell?” 

“I have no idea. It just feels like a ‘she’.” Jim shrugged and bit into his sandwich. “What do you think, Claire?” 

“I don't know Jim,” she said. She didn't look so certain anymore. “I expected something like an object or another power-up stone. That creature you dream about? It might be dangerous.”

“She has a point,” Toby nodded. “Maybe you could ask the monster what it wants next time you dream about it?”

“You think it will work?” Claire looked at Toby. 

“Well, it doesn't seem like a normal dream-” Toby shrugged trailing off. 

“It definitely won't hurt to try,” Jim had to agree with his best friend. 

“Just be careful Jim,” Claire moved her hand to his and squeezed a little. 

“I will. Don't worry guys.” Jim promised them. 

That night he was very eager to fall asleep. He finished his rounds around Troll camp quicker, leaving Toby and Claire to it, though mildly concerned about Claire's worsening cold. Then he raced home. 

Cursed luck had it that sleep didn't want to come to him easy. The harder he tried the harder it seemed to be. In the end when he fell asleep it was shallow and closer to sunrise so no dreams came to him. He went to school yawning and frustrated. 

“Didn't work, huh?” Toby noticed the second Jim came out of his house. 

“No,” Jim grumbled, shaking his head. “I couldn't fall asleep.”

“Sucks.” 

They took Jim’s Vespa to school. He really didn't have to say anything to Claire. She looked even worse than he did. 

“Looks like we both could use some sleep,” he joked then yawned. “You should sit out tonight's shift.” He said with concern. 

“I'm fine,” she once more dismissed him. “It's just a bit of a cold. I’ll see you at lunch.” She ran to her class. 

Jim’s first period was biology. The teacher was dull and Jim was losing himself staring at a page of text that was slowly becoming smudged as his head began to nod. The lack of sleep was getting to him. Suddenly after one more nod he was no longer in his classroom. He was… He couldn't tell where he was. This time it was a forest at the edge of a lake. It was dark and the shadows were moving. 

He looked around trying to maybe recognize the place but to no avail. Then, with one last turn, he faced the creature. Jim yelped a little but the beast didn't move. She was more solid now. With arms too long and hands too big and sharp to be human. Her eyeless face had only a mouth with teeth so sharp a shark would get jealous. 

“Hi?” he waved, trying to greet her. The creature tilted her head and he could swear she smiled a little. “Heh, I guess you can understand me, huh?” 

She didn't reply, only moved her head to the other side. Okay, still not talking.

“Can you tell me who you are? Cause I really would prefer not to release another evil being from- wherever you are now.” He knew helping Nomura out was the right thing to do, even if it resulted in a complete disaster. 

“Look, we really could use some help defeating Gunmar, if… you can help us. Can you?” He had to make sure. It would be really nice if she’d reply.

Instead she stared at him. Or at least he thought she was staring at him. Hard to tell when she didn’t have eyeballs. Or eye sockets. On second thought did she even have any ears? Jim tried to take a better look at her but the contours of her body became very smoke-like, blending into the shadows.

Suddenly she reached inside of her chest. It was as if she was reaching into water, her body rippling around her arm. Then she pulled it out and in her palm was something that looked like a heart. It was dark red, oozing black substance but pulsing. Was she offering it to him? 

Jim looked at the creature and then at her heart. Well, that sure wasn’t creepy.

“Um… you want me to- take it?” He asked a bit put off and confused. She nodded. Jim sighed. Not creepy at all. “Oh-kay…” he said slowly and reached to her hand. His fingers brushed over the heart. It was cold. Like a glass and not wet at all. “Huh.” He took it in his hand properly, weighting it a little. “So what do you want me to do with it?” He didn’t even finish the sentence properly when the heart started to melt - black liquid seeping right into his skin. 

Jim yelled trying to drop the heart but it was too late. It left a mark on the inside of his palm - a circle with eight arrows going around his palm and down the back of his hand to his arm. 

“Wh- what did you-?!” He looked wide-eyed at the creature and then froze. He could feel what she was thinking. Sudden images popped into his brain. A battle, trolls, some sort of family, two wizards, a name. “Eva. Your name is Eva, right?”

The creature nodded. Now he understood why she couldn’t speak to him. She was locked away. This was just a tiny piece of her consciousness, the seal too strong to break. Even visiting him in his dreams was a strain on her already weakened body. She was going to help them. The heart being a promise and a contract. 

“Thanks.” Jim cleared his throat. “I’ll figure out how to get you out.” There was so much information now in his head, he didn’t know what to do with it. He wanted to say some more but suddenly he was wide awake with the teacher standing over his head. He didn’t look very happy.

Jim smiled awkwardly at the teacher. Detention - here he goes.

The class ended soon after. Jim was gathering all his stuff when he looked at his hand. The black arrows visible on his hand. That definitely wasn't a normal dream… 

On a lunch break he met with Claire and Toby retelling everything that happened during his nap including the mark. They had to devise a plan. They needed to know two things - where the Gyre was and how to find the lake. It meant they had to get Blinky to tell them the first one - Claire volunteered for that one. Jim decided to see if he could get Strickler to help out on the lake location. 

They got where the Gyre was that night. Simple enough to just say they might need it eventually either to get help or escape. Blinky didn't suspect anything. Or maybe he did but he was too busy trying to mediate between two arguing trolls. That left Jim to talk to Strickler the next day. It couldn't be that easy. 

He was right. 

When he went to the sparring lesson with Strickler Jim put on his armour beforehand. That way he could hide the mark on his hand from his teacher and Nomura. They trained as usual and Jim had his butt handed to him once more but at least this time it took way more time than the last session. Strickler was still not satisfied with it though. Jim had too soft of a heart to face Gunmar any time soon. Unfortunately ‘soon’ was all they had. Then Jim decided to toss in an innocent question. 

“So, we're having Arthurian legends in English class,” he started the topic as suggested by Claire. “I was wondering - if Merlin is real, obviously,” he gestured to the amulet. “Was Arthur and Lady of the Lake real too?” 

“Of course,” Strickler sounded pleased by the questions. Easily falling into the ‘teacher’ routine he had led most of his life. “Though mind you there are many different versions, all hold a piece of truth.”

“And do you know it? The truth?” Jim found himself sitting next to Nomura to listen to Strickler. It felt nice to be back to this. As if they were both back in class, learning. 

“Why of course! For both trolls and changelings history is much more alive than for humans. It's mostly due to our extended life span,” Strickler began. “What interests you the most in legends?”

“Um… Lady of the lake?” Jim took a shot at it. He hoped Strickler would give him the location of the lake. “She gave King Arthur his sword, right?”

“In one of the versions, yes. In others she is often taken as the Pale Lady, which you know or a separate being named Nimue,” Strickler nodded then folded his hands behind his back and began to walk around in a very academic manner. “The truth is far more complicated. It is right that the legends have mixed around two beings together. It was in times before Gunmar was born, a story so old we are not sure about the roots of it.” he cleared his throat. “What is known is this - there was once a being so powerful that both Merlin and Mo-” he coughed. “Pale Lady decided she was too powerful to be left on her own - a god of chaos and vengeance. They sealed her away after a long and devastating battle.”

“But this being, she gave Arthur his sword, she couldn't be that bad, could she?” Jim had to know. Had Eva lied to him? 

“Good and Evil does not matter to the old gods. They can be both malevolent as benevolent. You never know what their agenda is until it's too late,” Strickler said. 

“What about the lake? Was it real?” Jim asked.

“Indeed it is. The place where she was sealed after a terrible and long battle. It's still in England.” Walter confirmed. 

“Where-” 

“Little Gynt what is that on your hand?” Nomura suddenly asked, interrupting them. She had been watching the young Trollhunter for a moment. While he was listening to Strickler , fascinated with the story, the armour had disappeared as he was at ease now. His mark was now exposed. 

“Oh it is nothing,” Jim tried to hide his hand in his sleeve but Nomura grabbed it and showed it to Strickler. 

“Jim… Where did you get this?” Walter looked positively scared. Nomura too had a deep expression of worry on her face. 

“I, well, I might have met the creature you told me about?” The boy smiled innocently.

The two changelings exchanged looks. Oh, this was bad. Five minutes later Jim was still listening to a lecture on how irresponsible he was and that he might as well have just doomed the entire world. 

Boy, could Strickler talk. He might have been as bad as Blinky in that regard. Jim sighed. Blinky would probably have made the whole lecture twice as long if he was here… 

“... can you explain to me  _ why _ would you do such a thing?!” Strickler finally finished.

Nomura was only looking at Jim with disappointment in her eyes. 

“Look, it’s not like we have much choice!” Jim tried to defend himself “Not like  _ I  _ have much choice now,” he looked sadly at his marked hand. “She promised to help us out with Gunmar and after that- she said she was going to leave. That she’s been stuck there too long or something. It can't be that bad then right?”

“Leave?” Strickler sounded surprised then shook his head. “You can’t believe a word she says! She’s even more dangerous than Gunmar! At least he’s straightforward about his end goals, who knows what she might be cooking up.” He pinched the bridge of his nose then sighed and looked at Jim, clearly worried. “I am going to help you.”

“What?” Both Jim and Nomura asked together.

“Stricklander, are you out of your mind?” she continued. 

“The boy made his choice and he can’t go back on his word, not without serious consequences which we cannot afford to pay. Not anymore at least,” Walter explained. “So, I shall provide, to the extent of my abilities, anything you’d need on your journey.”

“Thank you,” Jim stood up. 

“Don’t thank me just yet, Young Atlas. Thank me once you come back alive.” Strickler narrowed his eyes at the boy.

Jim gulped. Hopefully, he was not going to regret this.

Now with Strickler on their side backing them up it was time to move out. Jim didn't feel too well leaving Blinky behind or doing something behind his back - it was enough that he was training with Strickler while Blinky was busy. With Strickler helping them get to Eva, his mentor would be furious. But it had to be done. There was now some sense of urgency in his dreams. An uneasy feeling of rush. They were running out of time.

Finally, it was time to go. They were ready. Jim told his mom he was going on a trip with Toby and Claire after school. It was Friday so hopefully they would be back before Monday. Hopefully. The three teenagers set off to Gyre. Strickler has given them everything he knew - the location, some protective charms and advice to not agree to anything without thinking it carefully through as  _ she _ was very skilled in finding loopholes according to the lore. He had a contact in England that was going to guide them. Also warned them that there might be some traps but the books didn't mention how to bypass them. 

“We will have to improvise,” Jim tried to joke.

“The charms I gave you should protect the three of you from most curses and magical obstacles,” Strickler ignored his humour. “I hope your improvisation will be good enough to deal with whatever else might be thrown at you.”

“Don't worry! We always find a way, right Jimbo?” Toby remained optimistic. 

“We’ve got this Mr Strickler,” Claire smiled, agreeing with Toby. 

“Then there's nothing else for me to do but wish you good luck.” Strickler sighed and stepped away from the Gyre station. 

The kids waved at him and Jim started up the Gyre. Claire and Toby braced themselves at the jump. The machinery was horribly difficult to steer and Jim was barely making the turns which made the whole trip even worse from when Blinky was driving. When they reached England they all needed about five minutes laying flat on the stone floor. 

“Um, hi?” They raised their heads and saw a young girl, most likely around their age, with purple hair, freckles and multiple earrings on both ears. She wrung her hands nervously. “Are you Jim, Claire and Tobias?” she asked. 

“You must be Strickler’s contact. ” Claire got up and smiled at her stretching her hand. “I’m Claire. Are you also a changeling?” 

“Yes, I’m Annie.” She squeezed Claire's hand smiling back. “I’ll help you get where you need to go.”

Jim and Toby came closer as well and greeted too. 

“So where are we now?” Toby asked. 

“In Plymouth, your destination is Dozmary Pool,” Annie said. “I rented a car for us to go there.”

“Great, how soon can we get there?” Jim asked. 

“About an hour? Depends on the traffic.” She gestured to the entrance to the station. “Let's go.” 

The Trollhunters followed after the changeling girl, leaving the Gyre station. What they entered was a strange, abandoned ruin of an ancient Trollmarket with a husk of old Heartstone. It almost looked familiar with the stone stands but dust and cobwebs have settled there long ago. Everything was dark and cold. 

“Freaky,” Toby muttered following closely behind Annie who had a flashlight guiding them through the stone streets, warning them about the cracks. 

“If it's all abandoned, why is the Gyre station still working?” Claire asked as she jumped over a particularly large gap, right into Jim's arms. 

“I don't really know,” Annie shrugged. “I guess they just wanted a way back home maybe?” She took a turn and took the key to the Trollmarket out of her pocket. “Visit the family that stayed behind?” They walked now toward a red car.

“Are there any other Heartstones in England?” Claire followed with another question.

“There’s one in Ireland and I think one in Wales?” Annie told them. “I never been to any of them though, changeling and all,” she tried to add some light humour to her words but she sounded a bit dejected still. “Except this one.” She opened the car and they all got inside

“Thank you for helping us,” Jim said with a smile as he put on the seatbelt

“Anything to help the Trollhunter,” she chuckled and started the car. “After what happened in Arcadia - changelings across the globe finally realized that Gunmar doesn’t want us to be equal and you know,” she talked as they got on the road. “I guess it hit us hard, all these centuries out here and for what?” She gripped the wheel tightly. “So yeah. When Strickler called I was all for helping you guys.” She took a deep breath in and smiled.

“We really appreciate it,” Claire said from the backseat. 

The rest of the drive they talked about differences between England and the US as Toby found it bizarre they were driving on the ‘wrong side of the street’. They discussed some food and vocabulary.

“You should come here for like a visit after this whole thing is over! I live in London, can give you a tour there, but if you want to go to Scotland I have a mate in Edinburgh.” Anna said as they pulled out at their destination.

“Sure! It would be fun!” Toby waved at her as they got out of the car. 

Jim looked around taking in the lake. 

“Are you okay?” Claire walked up to him and placed her hand in his.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “What if I’m making another mistake?”

“It’s going to be okay,” she said with a soft smile and squeezed his hand. “You got us.”

“Yeah,” he sighed and hugged her. “Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very self-indulgent story but I hope to stay close to the source material. Why am I writing this? Because primarily I hated Merlin's treatment of Jim. I don't agree with his methods but I do agree with his reasoning. I'm gonna mess around in here and I hope y'all gonna enjoy the ride.  
> The title is kind of based on the poem by Suzy Kassem "In the Hands of A Man".  
> Thanks to maybeawriter6 who BetaRead this thing. I'm gonna be probably posting twice a month.  
> Please leave a comment/kudo if you liked this story. Let me know if you notice any mistakes. Visit me at margoteve on tumblr and talk to me if you want to discuss what I'm doing!


	2. Into the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Trollhunters venture into the unknown and are tested before they can reach what they are looking for.

They went around the lake looking for an entrance. They were walking around for about an hour until Jim felt a tug. Quickly he turned around and scanned his surroundings. Another one. He took a couple of steps forward. One more. He followed the sensation until he stumbled upon a boulder. It probably used to be much bigger once, now it was crumbling with moss growing on it.

“Guys! I think I found something!” He called Claire and Toby. 

“What is it!?” Toby shouted back as he floated over to Jim using his hammer. “A big boulder?”

“Maybe it’s like a hidden path?” Claire joined them giving the rock a taxing look. “Like with the Trollmarket?” She sneezed a little. The cold wasn’t letting go.

“I don’t think so…” Jim said slowly. He knelt down and touched the rock. It felt warm, like a little heartbeat. “There’s something carved here.” He noticed some lettering near the base of the boulder. “It’s all faded out though.” He looked closer and a sudden chill, like a lightning bolt went through his body, the letters flashed before his eyes and suddenly he was on the ground looking up at the sky, Claire and Toby hovering over him worried.

“What just happened?” he asked, rubbing the back of his head. It felt like it was filled with wool.

“Jim, this is freaky, we should go back,” Toby said. “Your eyes just went black and you spoke with some freaky language, bro!”

“You also used the amulet to open the gate,” Claire said.

Jim sat up. “What gate?” he asked but then he noticed it. The boulder was gone. Instead, there was a large crumbling, stone gate. It emanated magic similar to the one of his amulet but at the same time, it was darker, wilder. “Whoa.” 

“Are we still doing this?” Toby leaned in closer, worried.

“Yes,” Jim stood up and called onto his armour. “We’re going in.”

“Oh boy,” Toby gulped, while Claire smiled at him. 

The three teens, together, stepped through the gate and in a flash of black light disappeared with it. 

It was like a sudden drop at a rollercoaster, everything flipped. Up was down, down was up, everything spiralled out of control and just as suddenly all stopped and readjusted. Jim had a nasty flashback to the Dark Lands, a feeling he wished he never experienced again.

“Uh, guys?” Toby tugged at Jim’s arm and pointed behind him. “The portal’s gone.”

It was troubling news for sure. Yet another Darklands flashback. 

“No way but forward,” Claire sighed, sniffed and readied her Shadow Staff.

"Where are we anyway?" Toby glanced around. 

The structure, they were currently in, looked like an ancient room. The plan was square but the walls, carved with geometrical symbols, were curving gently. It all was mostly dark but tiny, white crystals in the corners provided some faint light. The ceiling…. The ceiling was gone. Loose pieces of stones were floating above them in something that resembled slimy darkness. 

"Freaky," Toby whispered in wonder and tried to snap a picture but much to his displeasure his phone was dead. 

Jim stared at three separate doors leading out of the room. The sensation he got earlier by the boulder got stronger now. It called him, pulled him forward.

"We should move on," he said, getting the attention from his friends. 

"Which way though?" Toby pocketed his phone and adjusted his backpack. 

"I think this way," Jim pointed to the door on the left. 

"How do you know?" Claire asked. 

"It just… It just feels right," he said. 

Knowing this is the best they can get, the three of them marched through the corridors, the whole place was like a dark, stone labyrinth. It was mostly silent but from time to time they could hear the clicks of some mechanism in the distance. The faint glow of crystals helped them to not trip on loose rocks, and there were a lot. The whole place looked like it was in the slow process of falling apart. Sometimes it was just a wall, a ceiling, a floor, sometimes it was the entire corridor and they had no choice but to play hopscotch. It was hard to measure time with their phones dead and it felt like they have been there for forever. Every time they would leave one passage, a clearing with a bunch more arched doorways would open for them to choose from. Every time it took Jim a second to pick the way.

“It’s like whoever made this place wanted to make sure no one finds the prisoner,” Claire said quietly.

“Yeah, or the prisoner never leaves,” Toby added. “How do you orient yourself here Jimbo?”

“I- honestly have no idea, I just- feel it,” Jim told him. 

“She’s leading you to her,” Claire guessed. 

“That’s never a good thing,” Toby muttered. “I’m surprised we haven’t encountered any traps, yet. Weren’t this place supposed to be crawling with them?”

“Don’t jinx it Tobes,” Jim still had his sword in hand, ready to defend at any second. It was hard enough with the corridors falling apart, traps were the last thing they needed. 

Just as he said that he stepped on a floor tile that collapsed under him, triggering something. The three teenagers collectively had the perfect ‘oh, no,’ face. The entire corridor started trembling. Toby looked over his shoulder and saw a wall collapse behind them and started moving towards them. 

“I jinxed it!” Toby yelled.

“Run!” Jim shouted and they all took off. 

Suddenly the floor completely collapsed ahead of them. Jim did not want to find out what was at the bottom of it. It was too wide to jump over it. He didn’t want to do this but there was no other option. 

“Claire!” He gestured ahead.

“Got it!” She activated the staff and opened a portal. They jumped inside and got over the hole. Jumping out on the other side they were out of breath. 

“That was close,” Toby sighed, almost collapsing down.

“Do you hear that?” Claire coughed and looked around alarmed standing up, leaning heavily on her ShadowStaff. 

They quieted down and listened and heard a somewhat hissing sound. “Oh no.” Jim grabbed Claire and Toby and pulled them away right before two streams of flame burst out on each side of the corridor. 

“Keep running!” 

They barely managed to scamper off before the fire blasts started shooting at them. The heat literally breathed down their necks and the smell of fried hair followed them. Claire and Jim had to grab Toby and carry him or their friend would end up singed. With a long last jump forward they got out of the dreadful corridor.

They all collapsed to the floor groaning and moaning. 

“Let’s… not trigger any more traps,” Toby said, laying flat on the floor. Which way now, Jim?”

“Well, this gonna sound strange but….” Jim stood up and pointed in the new direction. “There.”

“That’s- a wall,” Claire said standing next to him. 

“How are we getting through a w-” Toby began saying but then the realisation hit him and he gasped. “Warhammer!!!” He yelled and grabbed his weapon charging at the wall.

“Tobes wait!” Jim tried to stop him but it was too late. The hammer collided with its target and then Toby got ricocheted away. 

“ _ Ouch,” _ he whined quietly.

“Are you okay?” Jim asked, pulling him up.

“Yeah, but I think I pulled something." Toby stood up, limping a little and rubbed his back.

"How do we get through?" Claire looked at Jim. "I can't portal us through, and we can't break the wall with the hammer. Do you think your amulet might help?" 

Jim sighed and removed his armour. Holding the amulet in an outstretched hand he approached the wall. "Open!" he commanded. Nothing happened. 

"Maybe you're in the wrong spot?" Toby suggested. 

"Or need a special password?" Claire reached for the book in her bag, she also got a packet of tissues for herself. "I wonder if I can find it."

Jim moved around with the amulet trying to see if that would help anything. Meanwhile, Toby was sitting down, leaning over the wall trying to rest his back. 

"Strickler did say it won't be easy," he hummed slowly eating a Nougat Nummy. "What if it's all a riddle but we just can't see the clue?" 

"It is a  _ very _ bad riddle then," Claire replied, nose still stuck in her book. 

"You have anything, Claire?" Jim looked at her. 

"Nothing much," she huffed. "Just that the chaos is the opposite of order and you need to reflect on yourself to find it."

"So it is a riddle!" Toby grinned. "Jim, quick, reflect on yourself and we can move forward."

"Ugh, I don't know if I have the strength to do it now," Jim groaned and sat in front of Toby. "We've been here for hours."

"Lunch break?" Claire suggested and placed her book back in the bag. 

Jim nodded and Toby redistributed food they prepared for the trip. They ate in relative silence, only interrupted by Claire’s sniffing and the occasional cough, all trying to figure out the riddle. Jim tried to reflect while he ate, thinking back on all the things they have been through. All his decisions. The ones he made including his friends seemed to have the best results, except when they didn't. Like when Aaarrrghh died or when Draal ended up being controlled by Gunmar. He had no idea or assurance that this current plan of his was even going to work. What if it was yet another mistake? He still had his doubts. 

He chewed the last bite of his sandwich slowly and then looked up realizing his friends were staring at him. 

"What?" He swallowed and washed the food down with some water. 

"Were you reflecting?" Claire asked. 

"I guess? Has anything happened?" He glanced around. 

"Nope." Toby shook his head. 

They all stood up to stretch. "Let's look around, maybe we missed something," Jim suggested. 

"Sure, sure," Toby said. He was taking the longest to stretch. 

Claire looked at him and gasped. "Toby, behind you!" 

"What?! What?!" The boy almost jumped up alarmed. 

"Look!" She pointed to the wall he was sitting by. It looked like where Toby's back touched it he removed a thick layer of dust from it revealing polished metal. It was a mirror but the reflection was wrong. 

"Is that my arm?" Toby waved, confirming it.

"Why is it by the floor and not, you know at your arms level?" Jim tilted his head. 

"The riddle!" Claire slapped her forehead then winced regretting that. "Quick! We need to clean this up." She took off her jacket. "Jim, you too, take it off."

"Right," he said and they started to polish the wall, coughing as more and more dust rose in the air. 

What they revealed was stuff from a very drunk dream. Just like Claire said the whole wall was a mirror but the reflections were something of Picasso's painting. Their body parts were reflected in all the wrong places. Toby's head was somewhere by the ceiling, Claire's arm was somewhere to the far end away from her, Jim's torso firmly sat at the bottom, and so on.

Toby approached the wall and discovered the mirror pieces could be removed. "It's a puzzle," he said. "We need to put it in the right spot."

"So that's what it meant by ‘reflect on yourself’," Jim chuckled. "Never trust a clue to be literal."

Putting mirror plates was easier said than done. As they moved the reflections also changed places. All three were soon getting pretty frustrated until something finally clicked and the reflections were complete. 

"Awesome sauce," Toby grinned. 

"Look." Jim pointed to the mirror and then turned to the opposite wall which he tried to open previously. "There is a sign there."

The words were glowing in blue, trollish letters at first but changed to English after a second. 

_ Child of stone, clad in light of day,  _

_ Solve riddles three and receive a key,  _

_ Heart of Chaos must guide your way,  _

_ Open the lock to curse eternity. _

"Ugh, another riddle," Toby groaned. 

"At least this one is more straightforward," Claire said. "The first one is obviously the Trollhunter, that's Jim, we need to solve three riddles to get some key and free the Chaos God. I just am not sure what Heart of Chaos is…" 

"Maybe it's whatever been leading Jim until now?" Toby suggested. 

Jim thought back on his last dream. The heart that he held in his hand, the one that kind of got absorbed into his body. They didn't get much time to dwell on the subject as the words changed and the first riddle appeared. 

_ I cut through evil _

_ Like a double-edged sword, _

_ And chaos flees at my approach. _

_ The balance I single-handedly upraise, _

_ Through battles fought with heart and mind, _

_ Instead of with my gaze. _

_ What am I? _

They read the riddle and their faces fell. 

"We'll never get out of here!" Toby wailed. "I preferred the rolling boulder of death than this!" 

"We should have taken Blinky with us," Jim muttered going over the lines. 

Claire was reading the riddle under her breath, words "balance" and "gaze" seemed to be repeated a lot. She rubbed her eyes feeling her head being a bit heavy. Her cold wasn’t helping her solve anything. Jim looked at her and smiled softly. She looked so cute when she focused like this, even sick. He zoned out a little looking at how she bit her lip and how her hair moved with her head. 

Toby noticed the staring and rolled his eyes. Love makes a fool out of anyone. He read the riddle again trying to focus. It did seem familiar. Sword, no eyesight, balance…. 

"Justice!" he yelled. 

"What?" Jim snapped back to reality and blinked. 

"The answer is Justice," Toby repeated. "I knew binge-watching those crime shows were useful for something." He grinned. 

"Let's hope you are right," Jim said and raised his amulet up to the riddle. "Answer is 'justice'."

The words flashed green and new ones appeared:

_ A precious crystal, as clear as diamond. _

_ Seek it out while the sun's nearing the horizon. _

_ Though you can walk on water with its power, _

_ try to keep it, and it'll vanish in an hour. _

"A precious crystal?" Jim looked at Toby after all his friend was an expert with minerals. 

"Walk on water?" Claire was puzzled. "Maybe one of the stones like the ones you use for your amulet?"

This was difficult. They tried a couple of options but the letters would glow red indicating wrong answers. Jim also noticed that a number appeared next to the last line. It seemed that the next answer would be their last. He dreaded to think what would happen if they got it wrong. 

"Oh! Duh!" Claire snapped her fingers suddenly. "It's ice!" 

"Are you sure?" Jim looked at him. "We don't have any more chances."

"Yes! Ice is made of water crystals and you can walk on water because ice is made of water!" She argued. "Who here have better science grades?" 

"You do," Jim chuckled and raised his amulet. "The answer is ice!" he stated. His arm burned a little where the arrows were but the words on the wall turned green yet again. They all let out a sigh of relief. 

The last riddle appeared. 

_ It cannot be seen, it cannot be felt, _

_ Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, _

_ Lies behind stars and under hills, _

_ and empty holes it fills. _

_ Comes first follows after, _

_ Ends life, kills laughter. _

Jim read the last line and shuddered. He knew what it was. He spent a good couple weeks in it. He raised his amulet up again while Toby and Claire discussed behind him. "The answer is Darkness." 

The letters washed away and the wall crumbled before them. 

"Finally," Toby groaned. "Let's hope this was that."

Claire took Jim's hand after he put on his armour again, and they all moved forward. The entrance behind them closed.

The new room was spacious. It was more of a cave. Large stalactites and stalagmites grew around from the ceiling and the floors. It was even darker than in the labyrinth as the crystals were fewer and the space bigger. In the centre of the cave grew a huge crystal, semi-translucent, like a smoke. 

"That's it!" Jim shouted and ran up to it. "It's her.".

His friends looked at the creature locked inside and shuddered. The shape of it looked like it was melting into smoke. Sharp teeth exposed in a frozen snarl. It looked like it was going to attack them. 

"Uuuh, you know I always support you Jimbo but she really looks freaky," Toby clung to Jim. 

"I have to agree," Claire clung to his other side and coughed. "And it was partly my idea…" 

"It's going to be okay," Jim tried to convince them. "We have to find a way to free her. Claire was there anything about this in the book??"

"No, I think it was also in the missing page," she said. 

"The riddle said you'd get a key, maybe it's in your pockets?" Toby suggested. 

Jim quickly went into them but there was nothing new. "Nope."

"Maybe the riddles were the keys?" Claire looked around. "But how does Justice, Ice and Darkness help us solve this?" 

"Maybe she can help you?" Toby pointed to the frozen god. 

"It's worth a shot," Jim said and placed his hand on the crystal. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly. “Listen we need some help to get you out so if you can give us any hints-” he waited for the familiar tug and instead got a full thought. “Look for ice, like literal ice.” 

“Too bad it can’t be a bit brighter here,” Toby said as he looked among the stalagmites. “Everything is cold and slippery already.”

“She better really be worth it,” Claire muttered from her end, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. 

“I know guys, it’s been a really long day, let’s hope this is going to be over soon,” Jim tried to cheer them up. 

They explored almost the entire cave until Claire called them over. She found a frozen-over pond. It glowed slightly from inside but otherwise, it looked empty. The trio looked between each other and started smashing the ice until they broke through. Jim reached into the water wincing a little at the icy feel of it.

“Did you get anything?” Toby was peering over trying to get a right angle and spot anything.

“I don’t- yes!” Jim’s hand closed over something. He pulled his arm back shaking the cold water off. “It’s a crystal.” The object indeed looked crystalline. It was long and hexagonal with a pointed tip and completely clear, almost disappearing in his hands, only the solid feel in his hands convinced him he had anything in his palm.

“Amazing,” Claire looked at it in wonder. “It must have been refracting the light. We did an experiment like this in our science class but with glass.”

“So what are going to do with it now, Jimbo?” Toby looked at him with expectation.

Jim frowned then looked at the trap where Eva was. He approached it. Kneeling down he found a slot with the exact same shape as the crystal he was holding. He inserted it and said: “I, James Lake Junior, current Trollhunter and Merlin’s Champion, free you from your prison and undo the justice to bring your chaos.”

The cave shuddered and the only source of light faded. Claire and Toby grabbed onto each other as pieces of the stalactites began to fall down. The crystal prison began to crack and pieces of the minerals crumbled to the ground. Eva broke through with a roar and a snarl. The Chaos God leapt forward and they swayed growling and shaking their head until she whined and began to take the shape of a human, clad in old, tattered clothes definitely not from this century before she collapsed to the ground breathing heavily.

The light returned, much brighter than before, and the cave stopped shaking. Jim slowly approached the woman on the floor.

“Hello, are you alright?” He tried to touch her but she abruptly sat up and he jumped back.

“Jim!” She looked at him with a wide grin. “You did it!” She laughed and hugged the boy picking him easily up despite the extra weight of armour. “Oh, boy am I glad to see you in person.” She looked around and spotted Claire and Toby. “You two!” She set Jim down.

Toby shrieked when Eva just seemingly teleported right in front of them. “Thank you for helping him out so much,” she shook their hands.

“You welcome,” Claire maintained some sense of composure and good manners. 

“So- you’re not going to destroy the world?” Toby asked carefully. 

Eva laughed. “Destroy it?! Hell no!” She waved her hand and took a deep breath in. “Oh man, is that a burrito in your bag? I haven’t eaten in AGES.”

“Oh-kay,” Toby, nudged by Claire, reached into his backpack and pulled out the giant burrito. “I just gotta warn you, it’s pretty spicy.” He handed it to Eva a bit reluctantly.

She licked her lips, looking as hungry as she said. Sharp teeth coming into vision as she ripped the foil and paper off of the burrito and bit into it with gusto. She chewed making delighted noises. “Oh boy, this is so good,” she devoured the food within seconds. “Mmm, you’re right it had a kick to it.” She breathed deeply. 

Jim joined Claire and Toby and they all observed Eva while she was sitting on the ground licking her fingers clean from the sauce. She didn’t look intimidating like this. Rather plain for an adult who was the literal god of Chaos. Claire thought her ripped dress looked like peasants clothes they saw in history books. Her hair was dark blonde and eyes probably hazel. 

Eva finally stood up stretching, her back cracking. “Alright, kids, time to get out of this place.” She stretched her hands to them and they grabbed on, wondering what would happen.

Suddenly a sensation of vertigo grabbed them and they all teleported out of the cave and back outside to the lake. Quite literally, as Eva miscalculated and landed them directly in the water. Thankfully close enough to the shore for the whole thing to end up with a lot of sputtering and more flailing than it was worth.

“Sun! Ah, sun how I missed you!” She yelled and ran off to roll in the grass and dirt.

“So…” Toby stood next to Jim after they all climbed back to the solid ground. “How are we going to tell Blinky we got her out?”

Jim groaned and laid on the ground. “Let’s just worry one thing at a time.” He was all for following Eva’s example and just- enjoying the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Read by maybeawriter6! Thank you, friend! If you liked this, please leave a comment/kudo. And/or talk to me on my Tumblr about this! Hope y'all like it! o/ Here's a link to the art of Eva I did when the idea of this fic first came to me! [ Click here! ](https://margoteve.tumblr.com/post/174673151130/to-go-with-this-post-for-my-upcoming-fic-which-i)


	3. The Lull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quiet before the storm. The young Trollhunters get to know Eva a little bit more, while she adjusts to the modern world.

The return to Arcadia took them a bit longer than the travel to England. They had to stop at a pub for Eva where she obliterated two full-course meals. Jim wasn’t sure how but the deity also paid for them all. He suspected some serious magic happening there. To fit in, Jim kept his armour on so they could pass for cosplayers. 

“So Gunmar is out, huh?” Eva looked at Jim. They were updating her on things she might not know but it turned out she already knew plenty, she just needed some details sorted out inhaling a plate of mashed potatoes with gravy.

"Yeah," Jim looked down a bit uncomfortable. "It's -" 

"Inevitable," she said, cutting him off. "His folks have been working on it for centuries, his allies, his son, changelings, no offence Annie," she looked at the girl next to her. 

"None taken," Annie shook her head. 

"My point is, someone at some point would have let him out eventually," Eva concluded. 

"But he got Draal," Toby noted, slurping sadly his soda. 

The mood among the teens dropped. The deity looked between the kids and sucked in her drink through the straw. 

"So, um," Claire tried to change the topic. "How long have you been in that cave?"

"Hmm," Eva thought for a moment. "I guess about…. Two? Yeah, probably two thousand years?" She didn't sound too convinced. "Give or take a hundred or two. Most likely take. I'm terrible when it comes to time." She licked her empty plate. 

"Whaaaaaaaat?" Toby gaped at her. "Dang lady, you really hold it together."

Eva snorted. "Gee, thanks kiddo."

"The book said you fought both Merlin and Morgana and their joint effort did that to you," Claire leaned in. "Was that true? Were you the lady of the lake?" 

"Eh, well, the truth is-” She grimaced. “Not so easily explained but to generalize it…. first question: yes, second question: no," Eva played with the empty glass twirling it around her finger by the rim. "I never met King Arthur and Nimue, or the Lady of The Lake is based on another creature. But there's a grain of truth in everything."

"Why did Merlin seal you away?" Jim asked and immediately Eva's features darkened. 

"Because he thinks he knows what is best for everyone, that little narcissist" She growled under her breath. "I swear when I get my hands on him I'm gonna-" she made a series of vague hand motions accompanied by angry noises before she fell back in her seat looking glum. 

"Well…" Toby looked between his friends. "I think by now he is already dead?" He said slowly, unsure.

She stared at Toby and burst out laughing. "Oh, do not be so naive, my children. Wizards are harder to kill than a determined cockroach.  _ Especially _ Merlin." She drummed her fingers over the table. "He is alive somewhere, being his usual pompous self, no doubt." 

The kids looked between each other. Well, she seemed to be a bit cuckoo. "So, you will help us, right?" Toby asked. 

"As much as I can," Eva said and sipped her water. "I will help you out in protecting the trolls and humans and fighting GumGums, and whatever else you need.” She counted on her fingers. “But I won't fight Gunmar himself for you." She grabbed a chicken leg and ate it with her hands ripping pieces away.

"But that's the whole reason-!" Claire shot up from her chair but Jim grabbed her down and shushed her. She broke into a full-blown coughing fit before she managed to take a deep breath and repeat quieter:"But that's the whole reason we freed you!" 

"I know, but there are rules even I can't break. Plus if things go how I think they will - he won't be the only one on your plate," Eva specified. "And those bastards I am definitely fighting. A personal vendetta." She sucked on a greased finger and pulled it with a pop.

"Who?" Claire glared at her. 

"Oh, you will find out soon enough." Eva waved her hand. "Trust me, I will do what I can to help. Pinky promise."

The boys exchanged glances while Claire continued to silently fume. 

“So, does it mean you can see the future?” Toby prodded further trying to get more information on what their new ally could do.

“No one can see the whole future but I can see all the possible outcomes, yes,” Eva confirmed. “For example, I saw many different ways your first encounter with Angor Rot could have gone. I think you botched that one up in my opinion.” She pointed to Jim who flushed with embarrassment. 

“Hey, Jim did the best he could!” Claire jumped to defend her not-yet boyfriend.

“I’m sure of it,” Eva hummed and once more the table got quiet.

"I think we should get going," Annie suggested trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "It's getting dark and I have a bit of a drive home once I drop you by the Gyre."

They gathered their stuff and waited for Annie to pay the bill. Eva looked smug the entire trip but wouldn't say why. She just kept singing Mambo No. 5 under her breath. They bid goodbye to Annie and sat down on Gyre’s couch as Jim started it up. Seconds before they drove out, Annie yelled after them waving her phone but it was too late. The Gyre was on the move.

“Woo!” Eva threw her hands up as they sped up under the ocean’s floor. At least she seemed to be having fun on this ride. It would have been quite scenic with the clear quartz the Trolls used for the roof of the tunnel. 

Eventually, Eva switched with Jim at the helm of the Gyre and the trio managed to take a nap, leaning over each other in a pile. It wasn’t the most refreshing nap but it was still something considering how long they were gone. 

When they arrived home they all got off the Gyre yawning and stretching. Jim rubbed his neck, it felt so stiff. Then his eyes fell on a figure obscured by the shadows at first but not for long.

Blinky stepped closer with a stern look on his face. 

“Uhhh, heeey Blink,” he smiled, chuckling nervously and looking for Claire’s support. “How’s it going?”

“Master Jim,  _ where _ have you been?!” Binky demanded to know.

“Uuuh, out?” Jim chanced with not much hope.

“What do you mean by out! You have been gone for the whole day! We’ve been worried sick Gunmar got to you! I was planning on organizing a search party!”

“I’m sorry Blinky, I had to go, it- it was about my dreams,” Jim tried to explain.

“Great Gronka Morka! You didn’t-” Blinky grabbed Jim’s shoulders, eyes widening in the realization of what that could mean.

“Hello!” Eva waved from behind them and the Trollhunter slapped his hand over his face. “You must be Blinky,” she said pronouncing his name as ‘Blin-keh’.

Blinky dropped Jim and gasped, profound happiness spreading over his face.  _ “She said my name correctly _ -” He whispered but quickly shook his head. “WAIT THIS IS NOT TIME TO BE HAPPY ABOUT IT. YOU FREED A CHAOS GOD!”

“Blinky it’s okay!” Toby tried to calm him down. “She’s on our side!”

“For how long! She’s worse than a changeling on the loose!” Blinky waved his arms in the general direction of the deity.

“Hey! I take offence to that,” Eva huffed. 

“Forget Gunmar, she’s going to bring our doom!” He concluded.

“Overstatement,” she rolled her eyes, folding her arms on her chest.

“You used the boy to your own nefarious machinations!” Blinky accused her. 

“Nonsense! I haven’t done anything yet!” Eva rebuked the allegation.

“A-HA! Yet! So you are planning something, you iniquitous fiend!” He pointed a finger right between her eyes.

“Guys! Guys, please, can we calm down?” Jim jumped between them. “It’s been a very long day, she’s out. Nothing we can change now,” he looked at Blinky. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I felt I had to do this and you were against it.”

His mentor’s anger melted a little and he sighed. “Master Jim, I do not doubt you know the dangers and risks of your actions and that you do know what you are doing but I cannot in good conscience trust her,” he glared at Eva. “But I will always help you out.”

“Thank you,” Jim smiled, relaxing a little. “Could you then keep an eye on her for tonight? We need a little rest before the patrol.”

Claire sneezed behind them. “Ugh, definitely.”

“We better all get home,” Toby said, stretching his back with a small crack. 

“How about I’ll replace you three for the night and you all get some proper rest and weekend?” Eva suggested. 

“Absolutely not!” Blinky protested.

“You’re already keeping an eye on me, aren’t you?” she tilted her head. “I won’t destroy everything in one night. That would be boring,” she teased.

The troll grumbled squinting at her angrily. 

“I think it might be a good idea,” Jim said. “We’re all pretty beat. I trust you Blinky,” he looked at his mentor. That seemed to placate Blinkous. 

“Alright, get some rest, Master Jim.” The two shared a smile and the teenagers left.

Blinky watched them leave before he turned sharply to Eva. “And you! I’ll have all of my six eyes on you so don’t think you can sabotage this!” He warned her.

She took a deep breath in and shook her head. “Suit yourself.” 

Despite Blinky’s distrust, the night went by peacefully. He didn’t bring her to the warehouse, suspicious of her motivations but she didn’t mind. She stayed outside keeping an eye on the GumGums that didn’t really show up. It was rather lucky. 

The next day Eva and Claire (reluctantly) went shopping to equip the deity in clothes more suitable for the 21st century. Claire wasn’t sure but she could swear that Eva has left a couple of times when she wasn't paying attention. Nothing she could prove though, especially since her cold seemed to be messing with her head already. The Chaos god still had the creepy habit of suddenly appearing behind or in front of Claire but with time Eva learned to give warnings where she was going to appear. She seemed strangely adjusted though. It was puzzling the girl.

“How do you do this?” They sat down in a cafe for some coffee and ice cream. Claire tried to go past her annoyance. Eva did try to behave herself and allowed them a day to recover after the whole trip to England. Too bad the cold didn’t go away.

“Do what?” Eva browsed the menu.

“You were trapped there for so long but it doesn’t look like you’re surprised with how the world functions now,” Claire already knew her order so the menu laid under her arm. 

“That’s because I can well… observe the world as it goes, I absorb the events in a way,” Eva explained. “Like on TV.”

“Wow,” Claire was impressed. “I know Toby asked already but how does this work for you, the future vision."  


Eva grimaced. “It’s hard to explain, I know some things have to happen. I know the paths that could lead there but nothing is set in stone. It’s like trying to put together a puzzle, only the pieces are made of water.” She chuckled. "You gotta wait till they solidify a little bit."  


“It does sound complicated,” the teenager admitted but she had a feeling there was something Eva wasn't telling her. "What does it mean to be, well... you?"  


“Yeah, more than you think.” Eva paused when the waiter arrived and the two gave him their orders. "You mean like Chaos and the such?" Claire nodded. "Well, imagine I am a transfer troublemaker student. I make sure life is interesting though the definition of interesting may differ between people," she joked again.  


Claire wanted to ask more but her cold interrupted her with a coughing fit and she had to blow her nose. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to grow bigger.

“So, that cold of yours-?” Eve was creating an origami out of a napkin, changing the topic away from herself. “How long have you had it??”

“Uh, about the time we opened that big portal to save the trolls from the Trollmarket when Gunmare attacked, why?” Claire watched the paper take the shape of a crane.

“No reason,” Eva replied and set the perfect little crane down. "Here take the crane, for good luck." She smiled and started working on another one. “Oh, after the meal, I’ll show you the flat I found, so you, kids, can visit or find me whenever you need.

“That soon?” Claire blinked surprised. When did she even have the time-? Eva winked at her instead of answering. There were a few mysteries she wasn't going to share yet.  


Their meal arrived and they continued on much less serious subjects. After the cafe, they went to the apartment Eva mentioned. It was a small flat above a store, nothing fancy, practically empty save for the utilities. 

“I guess this will be all for now,” Eva smiled. “Do you need me to walk you home?”

“No, I’m meeting Mary and Darci,” Claire replied. “Have a good day!”

“You too!” The deity called.

As Claire was closing the door after herself she noticed more paper cranes on the counter and Eva using a phone that was definitely not there when they met this morning. Perplexed for a moment, she decided to let it go for now. Darci and Mary were waiting. 

A bit later Eva and Jim went to the sewers to meet Strickler and Nomura. The two changelings stuck somewhere between awe and the flight reaction. 

“Well, she’s here,” Jim gestured to her as he stood by his other mentor and the ex museum curator. 

“Remarkable,” Walter said out of breath. Nomura held back on a comment, one of her scimitars in her hand behind her.

Eva observed them amused. She eyed the changelings but other than that hasn’t said a word. She seemed relaxed, arms folded on her chest. Strickler circled her. 

“She’s real…,” he said slowly. “Are you sure we’re safe from her?”

“ _ She _ ,” Eva said with a bit of a bite, “is standing right here. And yes, you are,” she sighed. “Why does everyone keep saying that. I won’t bite you. Unless you’d be asking for it.” She narrowed her eyes at him and then glanced at Jim. “The mark should be clear enough of that.”

“My apologies, it’s still- quite intimidating, after all the lore-” Strickler tried to explain.

“Your lore has been written by those  _ worshipping _ the one who locked me up,” She grimaced. “Do not trust everything that’s been written by a victor.”

“Excuse me,” Jim raised his hand. “What do you mean that the mark makes it clear?” 

“The arrows, it basically means that as long as you have it your will is my will,” Eva said. “Haven’t I explained this before?”

Jim shook his head. 

“Ah, sorry ‘bout that,” she stroked her chin. “Well, basically I won’t do anything that you don’t want me to do.” 

“Think of it like the Inferna Copula that controlled Angor Rot,” Strickler added. "But more- personal."  


“What? I don’t want to control you,” Jim looked at Eva alarmed. 

“It’s alright, it’s for the best,” Eva smiled raising her hand to calm him down.

“So, you do have some strategy to defeat Gunmar?” Nomura cut in.

“Again I won't be fighting him for you," Eva explained again looking annoyed with repeating herself. "But I do have some loose ideas,” Eva told her. “I can’t say much either because the events of these ideas haven’t happened yet. Future is a fragile thing for those like you.”

“Like us?” Nomura was ready to take offence. 

“Mortals, people who live in a linear timeline,” Eva specified. “Happy?”

“Well, that certainly is something…” Strickler thought deeply. “You really can’t just go to the Trollmarket and kill Gunmar?”

“No,” Eva replied instantly making it clear that was a definite answer. 

“And why is that?” he inquired further.

The deity sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Do you want your world to explode?”  


Well, that was concerning. Jim blinked. "Great, um, glad we sorted that out,” he glanced at the changelings then back to Eva. “Anything else we should, perhaps, know about?"

"Avoid black bath bombs," she deadpanned. "Are we going to start the sparring slash training or is this the Interrogation 101?" She cracked her fingers and the shadows around her thickened.

“If you insist,” Nomura stepped forward pulling her scimitars out. 

“Oh boy,” Jim quickly pulled up his armour and took on the battle stance. It was time to rumble.

The training finished with Jim being extra sore. Gosh, Eva was really vicious in a fight. Even Nomura and Strickler were definitely going to be bruised after that. Jim groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. Ugh, definitely sore.

He sighed and made his way to Blinky. Soon it would be time for patrol. He sent Eva home because he didn’t want to make the Trolls any more nervous as according to Blinky they weren’t convinced the deity was there to help. He couldn’t really blame them.

And then Monday arrived. Beautiful sunrise with one crazy idea of Aaarrrgghh going undercover to Trollmarket. It was dangerous and they all hated it but it was necessary. With heavy hearts and a significant lack of sleep Toby, Claire and Jim went to school. 

It was probably the sleep deprivation that floored him as Jim’s brain tried to process the image before him.

“Mr Lake, please do come in, the World History class is about to start,” Eva said with a wicked grin as the doors behind him slowly closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for this nonsense LOL. We're finally starting the actual events of season 3 in next chapter, which is giving me a bit of trouble - hence delay in the posting of this. IDK if I am entirely happy with this one either XD But it's here! It's done and there's no going back now! Comment/Kudo if you liked! Also, let me know how do you think Eva and Merlin first met!  
> Beta read by maybeawriter6! Thanks, bud!  
> I have also made a spotify playlist for this entire story. Songs are related to both the story, characters ships and/or events XD. Predictably it is called [ Peace Through Chaos ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45gXlAWWi6IGbeP49tmPeL?si=9bS6IvUfRKOWVaPgBsCcCg)


End file.
